Day 36, May 5 MUD and ‘Newfound friends’

9052012

Because the fog was thicker than ever today , especially on the Atlantic, we had no choice but to continue in the New Jersey ‘ditch’—-and it was a VERY challenging day! Travelling with our friends made it bearable, though. Sometimes the depth was only 4ft. (we have a 4ft.draft) and the width was the width of our boat sometimes, but we were on the radio with Austin and Sandy all the way. We got towed out by SeaTow twice. They were only 5 minutes away; needless to say this is a very busy area for them! With Austin and Sandy’s comments,(and accents), on the radio, we were able to stay lighthearted through all of this,but it was very stressful. Sometimes the markers were not accurate to the chart or the GPS, and sometimes all three contradicted—but we kept going until we finally got to a deeper area near Manesquan Inlet through a canal that had a 6 knot current coming against us and 2 and 3ft waves! (this canal was only 100 ft. Wide). It was dark by the time we finally docked at Hoffmans Marina(challenging because of the current). We had a much needed happy hour on Austin and Sandy’s boat and decided to walk over to a restaurant for burgers and lots of stress-relieving laughs.

It’s amazing how ‘raw’ life can be on the road , or ‘on the water’, and how quickly you an get to know people, especially when you have to go through some challenges together.

Must mention how lovely the Jersey Shore is. The huge summer homes line the shore, some on piles extending into the ICW. A continuous beach lines the Atlantic shore with dunes and almost continuous mansions(probably cottages).